Serum vs Dune 2

[justarandomguy]

Hi guys,
First off: This is not a real VS! I demo'd them both but I really can't decide, because they're actually similar to each other, but both have their pros and cons.
I just want to know what you like most about the synthesizers and if you would recommend to buy it.

[wagtunes]

I own Serum. Don't own Dune 2 but have recently demo'd it extensively and really like it. It is deceptively flexible once you get into individual voice modulations.

But make no mistake about it. These are two completely different synths. Dune 2 is extremely limited as far as wavetable synthesis whereas Serum is literally a wavetable synth and arguably the best one out there.

If you can afford both, get them both because there is very little overlap between the two and, IMO, they serve different purposes.

If, however, you can only afford one or only want to get one, then it depends on what kind of music you want to do. If I want to do more "unusual" tracks and explore more "quirky" sounds, I'd go with Serum, even though it can do traditional was well.

If you want to do more traditional things and/or typical EDM sounds, I'd go with Dune 2 mostly because it's a lot easier to program. To get the most out of Serum, it takes a little more work. Dune 2 can give you most "bread and butter" EDM sounds with very little effort. It's just an easier synth to program.

As for presets, I think Serum comes with more of them but a lot of them aren't the usual sounds you're going to use everyday because they're meant to show off what Serum can do as opposed to Dune 2's presets which, IMO, are more meant to show off that the synth can do "commercial" music.

This is not to say that either synth isn't capable of traditional and non traditional sounds. Serum is just targeted more towards the latter.

I will be getting Dune 2 sometime this year. For me, it's not either or. It's both. I can definitely see using one where I wouldn't use the other, especially since I program all my own sounds. If I want something EDM and want it quick. I'll go to Dune 2. If I want something really out there, I'll go to Serum because I think it will reward me more for the extra effort.

This probably hasn't helped you one bit but it's my 2 cents on the two synths. I give them both 4.5 stars out of 5.

[Yorrrrrr]

wagtunes is so right. They can't be compared, they're both awesome, but serve different purposes. However, if *I* had to choose just one for whatever reason, it's DUNE 2 to me, because, when producing a track, I tend to go with the tool that gets me where I want faster, and I find that I am very quick to get there with DUNE 2. It's the quickest path from my brain to the speakers, between the several synths I own. It's so fast, yet inmensely flexible and capable. And for some reason I always end up loving the sound that comes out of it. Serum would need some more work, but allows to do some crazy stuff because it's more capable as a pure wavetable synth. DUNE 2 is more limited in this area, but I think I heard that Synapse Audio is going to make a tool (not sure if integrated inside DUNE 2) that will allow you to make custom wavetables, so it will get closer to Serum's capabilites in the future.

[mutantdog]

I demoed both Dune 2 and Serum when the latter came out, as wagtunes said they are very different instruments both very capable in their own right. Although Dune2 does have a decent wavetable implementation it is clearly not the main thing. Serum on the other hand excels in this area with its deep wavetable editing, visualisation and ability to make wavetables out of any wav.

While I'd say both are very EDM orientated, Serum is geared for the more aggressive sounds, in some respects following on from Massive. Dune2 is more trance-orientated, its unison engine is like nothing else allowing independent controls for every voice in the stack. I'm sure this will be useful for evolving pads, but no doubt has many other applications.

Serum has been criticised for sounding "cold", of course this is a subjective term but probably stems from the wavetable nature and the antialiasing that supposedly is an important part of its architecture. Dune2 does have a nice warm sound as one would expect from a unison heavy synth. I've heard people say the envelopes aren't punchy enough but others say you need to use the MSEGs instead.

Both have an excellent suite of effects on board, although Serum's reverb has been singled out as sub-par. Dune's modulation is entirely based upon a detailed multi-page mod-matrix within it faux LED screen. Serum has combined mod matrix with a drag-to-destination form of modulation akin to that of Massive.

Both ship with a reasonable number of presets, all though not the most generous selection, Serum has stacks of third-party banks available while Dune2 has relatively few (it will not load Dune1 sounds) which is a shame as i think its the one which could benefit most from more soundbanks due its slightly more long-winded modulation system. Although advertised as i5 or i7 required, reports on here are that Dune2 is surprisingly light on CPU and should work fine on a decent i3. Serum on the other hand can really push your CPU to its limits if you want it to.

Basically, both synths are excellent and I'm sure you'll be pleased with either. I favoured Serum since it offered me something significantly different to anything I own already, Dune2 on the other hand covers more than a few bases with the likes of Spire which I already use frequently. I also find mod-matrixes somewhat time-consuming and find faux-LCD screens a little bit irritating. Serum's UI and its visualisation make it a real pleasure to use.

Both can be resold, although both become NFR. Serum's transfer fees are significantly higher I believe. If of course that sort of thing bothers you. Really, though it comes down to demoing them both and deciding for yourself.

[wagtunes]

@Mutantdog.

What you said about the sparsity of Dune 2 banks has me very curious now. Might be an area I want to explore to add to my collection. I'm sure I can definitely do that synth a lot of justice.

Thanks for the info. I wasn't aware of this.

[mutantdog]

Yeah, its not exactly a crowded marketplace. I reckon you could do well off a Dune2 bank. There's been requests for them on here in the past.

[wagtunes]

Yeah, its not exactly a crowded marketplace. I reckon you could do well off a Dune2 bank. There's been requests for them on here in the past.

I just picked it up on sale. Looking forward to diving into it.

[mutantdog]

Does that mean i get your free "Wow me" soundset prize?

[DJ Warmonger]

I own both and still drift towards Serum. It can do pretty much anything I'd need Dune 2 to do. Every week I discover more potential in Serum. For Dune 2 I rather encounter limitations and flaws. Envelopes were already mentioned, also FM mode is somewhat limited. (free) patches are running low for Dune.

Unless you need to stack a large number of layers or need to save CPU, go for Serum.

[loungepanda]

Would recommend Dune 2 as a general purpose synth

pros:
- editing and modulation per voice
- absolutely godly unison capabilites
- thorough manual
- good effects and filters
- really well optimized
- custom skins available

cons:
can't save effect settings (I believe you can do this in Hive?)
can't save arp presets
tabs can cause editing to be confusing at times. The EQ is useless since it's tucked away under the FX tab.
literally less than 10 commercial soundsets available

[wagtunes]

Does that mean i get your free "Wow me" soundset prize?

The winner will be drawn from all the members who recommended Dune 2 before I purchased it, so yes, you are in the running but there will only be one winner. I think there were quite a few people who recommended Dune 2. Have to recheck the thread.

I'll announce the winner either today or tomorrow.

[kuzami]

I own both, and these two are my favorite and most used synths. Highly recommended

[justarandomguy]

Thanks for your comments! Would you say, Serum is similar to Massive? Because I already own Massive and some people say Serum is just a better version of Massive. What do you think about it? And what do you think is better for Bass? As far as I demo'd, Serum is not the best for Bass.

[Caine123]

im no synth expert, i own both!

dune 2 is more warmer sounding somehow, i dunno, maybe i set serum wrong! it is more bread & butter if you can say that with more capabilities than standard VA synths cause of additional FM (simple) etc.
the sound is massive, i love the basses you can create, big warm pads etc.

serum is somehow sounding more aggressive (again maybe i set it wrong!) but i also use serum for experimental sound design stuff. cause of all the modulations it is so wickedly great i always get new results even as a noob in synthesis. but i dont learn typical sounds with serum somehow, i dunno why. will make A:B comparisons soon to check it myself out again!

[Robmobius]

They are pretty different synths (as has been suggested). No harm to have both (I do). And I use them both as well.

There's not really a large overlap as they are both pretty different. However, Serum can do a bit more. That is to say, it can do the bread and butter sounds (using basic wavforms and its immense filter sets). Then you have your whole wavetable synthesis to explore.

Both have great interfaces and are easy to tweak. They both sound cool too.

Personally, I go with Serum. Just because I love experimenting with the wavetables.

You can't go wrong with either.